Jeremy Gosbee is the president of the Alumni Association.
Dear students:

You might notice this weekend that there are a few more folks than usual exploring campus and attending events. Many of them will be wearing GW shirts and nametags, and you might spot a certain nostalgic look in their eyes.

That’s because this is Alumni Weekend. Thousands of graduates will come back to Foggy Bottom to reminisce and reconnect with one another and with their alma mater.

I encourage you to reach out and get to know some of our alumni this weekend. There are currently more than 275,000 people living all around the world that share a common bond with you: They walked in your footsteps, sat in your classrooms (some of them, anyway) and even learned from some of the same professors as you.

So if you see someone marveling at the new Science and Engineering Hall, or trying to figure out where they can buy a GW T-shirt these days, or taking selfies with George Washington on the bench in Kogan Plaza, take a moment to say hello. Ask them to tell you their GW story ‒ how they came here, what they studied and what campus was like in their day.

You’d be surprised at how excited many of our alumni are to talk with current students. You might see an alumnus staring wistfully at the construction site for what once was Crawford Hall and hear a story about GW’s first “Superdorm” (hint: it wasn’t District House!). You might even get a knock on your door in Thurston Hall because the “Back to Thurston” tour is always one of the most popular events during Alumni Weekend.

You may also notice many alumni this weekend with a ribbon on their nametag that says “annual donor.” When you do, please be sure to thank them for their support of GW. Their donations and other forms of support go a long way to help enable your GW experience, and I know they would appreciate your gratitude.

The GW Alumni Association works hard to promote our philosophy of “Colonials Helping Colonials.” We all share a common bond that unites us as students and creates a responsibility to help one another succeed. So take advantage of the opportunity to connect with a fellow Colonial. You never know: Your next mentor might be that alumnus you meet this weekend.

And finally, I hope you’ll keep in mind the fact that soon, you too will be an alumnus or alumna of GW – and that you’ll always be welcome here in Foggy Bottom, for Alumni Weekend or on any other day of the year.

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